Grand Falls-Windsor bee farm looking to educate and expand

Trevor Tuck, owner of Tuck’s Bee Better Farm, is looking to expand his farm and offer educational tours to students and tourists. - file photo

Owner to meet with members of town council

GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR, N.L. – Trevor Tuck wants to educate youth on the importance of honey bees in the ecosystem.

“I couldn’t think of anything more important,” according to Tuck, owner of Tuck’s Bee Better Farm on Grenfell Heights. “They’re your future, and if you show them the importance of it, well they’re the one’s going to make decisions on pesticides and food production. A lot of people have no idea how important honey bees are.”

The Grand Falls-Windsor Public Works and Planning committee reviewed information from Tuck during their April 24 meeting regarding a request to purchase land. Tuck is asking to purchase land near his farm to construct additional facilities relating to honey extraction and berry production. This expansion would create jobs and help accommodate tourists and tours from schools to educate people on honey bees and their roles in the ecosystem.

“We’ve been working towards that for some time now,” Tuck said.

The farm, according to Tuck, is currently in a state of construction and isn’t able to be visited.

“Heavy equipment, loads of fill,” he said. “It’s not aesthetically pleasing for people to come by, we’re just flat out right now.”

Tuck is hopeful that by the end of this summer, or the beginning of next, the farm will be able to accommodate visits from the public.

“The land mass we have there now, provided with what’s going on with the town, we’ll be able to get tourists around with that,” he said.

Tuck said when you educate kids on honey bees, and show them how docile and important they are, they gain a value for them.

“Kids are able to take that message home,” he said. “Showing kids how it all ties together, everything that’s in your produce section at the grocery store. You show them what’s there right now, and you show them what it would be like without bees, pretty bleak. You’re eating rice and corn.”

Tuck’s Bee Better Farms was incorporated in 2013, and has been producing berry sauces sweetened with honey for the past four years. The farm supplies stores all across the island.

Tuck noted that he’s looking for land in other areas to increase the farm’s honey production, which he said would lead to employing more people.

“We’re doing a lot with other types of berries, and combining our honey with it,” he said. “There’s going to be some jobs created there as well.”

Chairperson of the Public Works and Planning committee and Deputy Mayor Mike Browne said council is supportive of Tuck’s project and request for more land.

“We just want to meet with him once more to ensure the land he’s interested in, and where it’s located more particularly, is exactly what he needs,” Browne said. “And if we could be more accommodating with respect to another piece of land that’s right behind his property.”

The land Tuck wants is a few plots down from his current space.

Browne expects to meet with Tuck next week.

“At the next public works committee meeting we’ll meet with Mr. Tuck, and the issues will be resolved at that time,” he said.

Tuck met with Grand Falls-Windsor town manager Jeff Saunders and director of engineering works Nelson Chatman on May 14, though no decision was made.